A 30-year-old trader named Joe Fortemose Chinakwe, was arrested and detained by the Ogun state police command for naming his pet dog ‘Buhari'. This was after one of his neighbours, a man reportedly from the North, filed a complaint that Joe named his dog after his father, Alhaji Buhari.
The Police has now released Joe Chinakwe, unconditionally. He was released around 5pm on Tuesday after the intervention of both the Serkin Hausa and President-General of non-indigenes in the state. However, both the complainant and suspect were made to sign an undertaking not to cause any breach of peace.
Speaking to Vanguard after his release, the second hand clothing trader, a father of two from the Niger Delta, lamented that he was made to suffer for no just cause. He said,
"It is annoying because the complainant is from Niger Republic and I am sure he is one of those illegal aliens in this country. He connived with one Police Sergeant from the Northern part of Nigeria called Musa, who works at Sango Police division to humiliate me. Worse still, the Divisional Police Officer there, did not help matters as he refused to entertain any plea from me after I was arrested that Saturday night. He simply ordered his men to intimidate me and throw me into the cell with hardened criminals for about three days. While I was there, the complainant from Niger Republic and Sergeant Musa from the North kept on taunting me saying people from my part of the country are trouble makers and that after detaining me, they will throw me into prison where I will die unsung.
While taking me to Eleweran the next day, they handcuffed and chained me together with that my friend. Fortunately, when we got to police headquarters, both the Commissioner of Police and other officers were angry with their colleagues at Sango-Ota. They were wondering loudly why I was brought to the headquarters over such a minor case. It’s very unfortunate that I have to be so humiliated in my own country because of the antics of a foreigner in connivance with my brother from the North."
On why the dog was named Buhari, Joe said,
“I did not commit any offence. I named my beloved pet dog Buhari, who is my hero. My admiration for Buhari started far back when he was a military Head of State. It continued till date that he is a civilian President. After reading his dogged fight against corruption, which is like a canker worm eating into the very existence of this country, I solely decided to rename my beloved dog which I called Buhari, after him. I did not know that I was committing an offence for admiring Buhari."
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